At the age of seven, Sakubei Yamamoto entered a coal mine with his parents, and continued working at the Chikuho mines in Fukuoka Prefecture for the next 50 years. The mines were pitch black and humid, and the risk of collapse or flooding was never far behind the miners. After retiring, Sakubei found work as a night guard, and from the age of 66, first began documenting his life and times working on the yama (coal mines) in essays and paintings. He left behind a legacy of over a thousand paintings, as well as 70 notebooks and diaries. Of this collection, 697 pieces were chosen for inscription on the ‘Memory of the World’ register.

This program examines the life of Sakubei and the incredibly detailed documents of the Chikuho coal mines that he left behind.
What sort of figure was he, and what message does he convey to us through his artwork? Sakubei’s life and art are revealed through the stories told by those connected to him.